This is one of my favorite summer dinners that is quite easily adaptable to vegetarian or variation. Can’t beat that. The sandwiches for dinner tonight were served with an Asian style cabbage slaw on the side (not pictured).

The recipe was a simple construct: Portobello mushroom and mixed bell peppers in a homemade balsamic-garlic vinaigrette, grilled, mixed with chopped basil, and stacked on top of goat cheese and prosciutto, between two thin buns then grilled again until hot. A wonderful pressed sandwich for a filling dinner. One of our favorites for warmer weather. You can easily change it around by adding a thin sliced chicken breast in place of the prosciutto or firm pan seared tofu for a vegetarian option. We also add grilled avocado occasionally. So play around on the grill and create something tasty!

Leaving Mother’s Day fare in our wake, for tonight we decided on simple vegetable grilled sandwiches. We used a marinated portobello with garlic and vinegars, red pepper and almond puree, caramelized onions with spinach and basil leaves on a ciabatta bun. It’s one of my go-to recipes for an easy yet healthy meal. I put this one together in the 70s when I had a limited budget and a co-op membership. And yes, I made the ciabatta with all its holes. Served with a herb and mixed green salad, homemade balsamic vinaigrette and a Sancerre wine to complement. As a surprise I had fresh strawberries as a condiment instead of anything brined and it worked beautifully.

A great way to utilize leftover vegetables from Mother’s Day and have an easy meal free of time consuming cooking.

My dedication to eating whole foods spurs our latest response to requests for natural foods with flair, flavor and plate appeal. Therefore, assuming the plate is a canvas for the artistry of whole foods, we continue to work with the idea of a Portobello Mushroom Pizza.

We have evolved it to a heartier main course by adding some goat cheese and fresh baby spinach and the result was satisfying, healthful and most importantly, flavor packed!

The Portobello Mushroom Pizza is a great dish but this one takes it up a notch to a more satisfying stand-alone dish. As a side, we offered a cup of minestrone soup, organic of course, and a couple of slices of homemade sourdough bread toasted with a touch of Asiago cheese for those who enjoy carbs.

End result: happy diners, happy creators and full tummies. What could be better? Pair this meal with a lovely fresh red wine and you have a romantic dinner.

Simple process, not a recipe but a method: de-stem and de-gill two Portobello mushrooms, taking care to keep the cap intact. Heat the broiler to high.

While the broiler preheats, chop 2 seeded Roma tomatoes into a small dice. Add 4 small cloves of chopped garlic, 6 leaves of basil chiffonade and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to the mix. Stir well to combine.

Lightly sauté 2 cups of spinach in a fry pan over medium heat until just wilted. No oil or butter (translate: fats) necessary if you use a non-stick pan.

Line 2 dinner plates with fresh baby spinach sprinkled with Balsamic Vinaigrette (homemade if possible). Chill the plates in the refrigerator while you broil the mushrooms.

Place the mushroom caps on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub just enough oil on the caps to cover both sides, about 1 teaspoonful. Broil, gill side down, just until the cap begins to shrink and yield its juice. Remove from oven and turn gill side up. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Line the cap with the wilted spinach. Top with the tomato-garlic mixture. Dot with half the goat cheese and repeat for the other Portobello mushroom.

Return the mushrooms to the broiler, on the foil lined baking sheet, and broil until the goat cheese sizzles and begins to turn color. Remove immediately, transfer to the spinach lined plates and serve while hot.